Friday, February 10, 2012

What do you do when a star is in your midst? The commanding officer ordered that 'strangers are not allowed to approach' the Taiwanese actor. The military camp in which Taiwanese actor Ethan Ruan is serving his mandatory military service was caught in this tricky situation when a photo of Ethan and a commanding officer was uploaded online.

The actor has been rumoured to be given preferential treatment in camp. Other draftees serving in the same unit have been ordered to not go near Ethan unnecessarily. Ethan's fellow draftees are reportedly unhappy, grumbling, "We have to get out of the way when we see Ethan. Wouldn't it be easier if they set up a blockade instead?"

On Feb 7, Li Zhongjing, the Conscription Agency Deputy Director of the Taiwanese Home Affairs Ministry, responded to the issue. Li acknowledged the existence of the photo and said that the commanding officer had made use of his position to take a photo with Ethan. He added that the officer had been served with a suspension and demerit points. Li also denied that they had issued a gag order and explained that draftees had been asking Ethan for pictures and autographs ever since his enlistment.
Therefore, the agency requested that other military units who wished to approach the actor for photos and autographs, to do so without disrupting military routine.

With Ethan is serving his military service in Taichung, the actor's girlfriend, actress Tiffany Hsu shared that due to work obligations, she had only been to Taichung twice and that it was not easy to see Ethan. Ethan and Tiffany's previous flirting on their microblogs also prompted rumours that there might be good news from the couple soon.

When asked, Tiffany replied, "It's so much fun to see people's responses. When we don't go out together, [the media] will say our relationship has changed. When we write something, they say there'd be good news soon."